Opinions on Jag XK8 MY 98/99

Very reliable cars for th emost part. But when they fail, they fail big (seized engine). A fun boulevard cruiser - don't expect to be thrilled by performance. Make sure you have a warranty.

--Dan

 

I agree with Dan. Might be nice to cruise around in, but a sports car it's not.

A couple of years ago, there was a picture of me driving an XKR convertible in full on, opposite lock, oversteer mode, with my mouth wide open, as if I'm saying "holy @#$%!" in some car magazine.

Let's just say that the steering is neither quick nor precise.

 

Here I go!

98/99 had the all aluminum engine with Nikasil coating (instead of iron sleeves). Some people have reported problems with the coating, maybe because of high sulfur (sp?) fuel ... leading to the engine needing total replacement. Keep the Nikasil in mind, as I go on.

Thermostat tends to lock. Which is no biggie, until you know the water pump fails when coolant becomes too hot. By failing I mean the plastic impeller just breaks into lots of tiny pieces. Fortunately, Jag sells improved water pumps (white impeller for the upgraded ones, black for the ones to avoid). They're expensive (500$cdn, more than jobbers -around 250$us-), but definitely worth it. Remember the Nikasil? This is where it gets ugly. Extreme heat damages the coating, as in it just doesn't stick to the cylinder walls anymore.

Then you have the secondary chain tensioner (the tensioner of the chain between the 2 camshafts). That tensioner is made out of plastic (like a lot of stuff on the engine) and tends to crack and fail with little more warning than some rattling at start up. Again, Jag sells upgraded chain tensioners than do not fail. Oh, if they do fail, you're in for major repairs. Non mechanical savvy owner with warranty had the complete engine replaced. I'm not sure that is necessary, although it is a huge bill, even if you consider parts only.

Other problem for the 98/99 is the front end bushings wearing out quickly ... I don't have any more details on that, though.

Jag problem, no service manual is available from the dealer (and would be in excess of 1000$ anyways). Fortunately, ebay is here to help (look for JTIS, version 21). That's how I got mine.


Now you must be wondering why I know all that stuff ... we have a 98 XK8 convertible, and I did my homework prior to buying it. We also did a PPI, that did NOT reveal the failed waterpump (I suspect this is why the car was such a good deal). But we specified we wanted a blow-by/leak down and compression test done (to avoid an engine with chipping Nikasil)
We did have the t-stat and water pump fail. And I know first hand the impeller disintegrates when too hot, and that the new w/p is much better. It takes about 2 hours to change the w/p, and you need to be 2 if you want to remove the hood (makes it much easier to work on the front).
We will most likely wait until winter (canadian winter) to change the secondary chain tensioners, but will definitely be doing it.
The car came with stupid 16" wheels with cheapo tires on it, but the seller gave us the stock (optional) 18" rims, so all we needed was 1200cdn$ for tires (which is a decent deal). We swapped it quickly since the car needs the right wheel/tire combo. With the narrower tires, the steering was way to light, suspension was harsh and noisy ... etc. With the 18", it feels much better, just natural. Steering is still a bit on the light side, but the car is very well planted for spirited driving.
No other issue/change on the car since we got it, daily driver, and flawless. I admit the w/p problem was expected since we bought the car 15k under market prices, but the dealer just wouldn't tell what was wrong, although we told him we knew it was under-priced and that something was wrong...cretin.

Brakes are great. I don't know about fading, but as far as I went, they have great feel and power.
As mentioned, steering is a bit light to my liking.
Comfort is great in front. Seats are comfortable, quite some room (in front!), noise is very low. The soft top isolates very well, a GT for sure.
Back seats is another story. They are VERY tight. Especially with the conv., the back rest is near vertical, and leg room is ridiculous, even with the front seats as forward as they will go. It's ok for 4 short people for an hour or so of driving, but not much more. 3 people is breeze, with the rear passenger sitting sideways.
Trunk space is very good for such car, I think.
Power is decent, but don't expect anything under 40 km/h. The take-off procedure (auto transmission) is way too smooth (even in Sport mode), and it shows when you step on it. Some extra hp could help (K&N, exhaust) solving this issue, I believe. Once 2nd gear steps in though, it really pulls nicely.
Sound system is decent, not great. 6 CD changer in the trunk. I don't have the optional high-quality system.

Now this is all the measurable stuff, and it is nothing compared to driving this car.
You get looks. From everyone. This car really must look good!! lol. Even people in 911s look at you. Awesome if your ego needs it lol
The interior is great. We have the sober black interior and it's very classy, the huge log in front of you is splendid. When the sun goes down, open the top, and let it light the dash head on ... doesn't get any more beautiful!! Driving is great, but a manual tranny would have been welcome (which my only complain with the car). As a matter of fact, I spent sunday cruising on the little lakeside backroads 1hr from home, and came back even more in love with the car. It's awesome for touring and spirited driving, but it's no sports car (tracking it would be a fun but inadequate idea, for example).

Another rant, our 2 local Jag dealers are snobby jerks.

My conclusion?
The car has some issues that need to be taken care of (water pump, thermostat and chain tensioners). If you can afford it, I'd go with a 00+ (iron sleeved engine, new and improved water pump and chain tensioners).
Other than these details, the car is a splendid one, and when we matched everything (4 seater, convertible, sportiness and cost) it turned out to be our best bet. I'm quite sure we couldn't have gotten anything better for the price.

There's a 2000XKR for sale locally around 55k$ cdn ... interested?

edit : forgot this xk8 forum : http://forums1.roadfly.org/jaguar/forums/xk8/ (warning, they will freak you out if you think some nightmares happen to all the cars).

 

i know there are some relialbity issues... see the previous post..jagin general have a lot of reliablity issues, both from my experience with friends cars and consumer reportsand jd powers data...xk8 is a cruiser, a nice one at that..i see a lot of older gray hair men driving them... the styling doesnt do much for me..but woman love it.. probably more than a f or l car... go figure!!!